Smart Battery Wear Leveling For Audio Devices

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide systems and methods among wireless earpieces in a wireless communication network that enable balancing the batteries in the wireless earpieces to be depleted at approximately the same rate. Various embodiments intelligently and dynamically swap master/slave roles among two or more Bluetooth® wireless earpieces coupled to a data source device to optimize battery life in both wireless earpieces. The various embodiments provide methods and systems for swapping master-slave roles so that there is less impact on the user experience.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/481,831 entitled “Smart Battery Wear Leveling for Audio Devices,”filed on May 26, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Mobile and wireless technologies have seen explosive growth over thepast several years. This growth has been fueled by bettercommunications, hardware, and more reliable protocols. Wireless serviceproviders are now able to offer their customers an ever-expanding arrayof features and services, and provide users with unprecedented levels ofaccess to information, resources, and communications. To keep pace withthese enhancements, mobile electronic devices (e.g., cellular phones,watches, headphones, remote controls, etc.) have become smaller, morepowerful and more feature-rich than ever. Many of these devices now haveimpressive processing capabilities, large memories, and radios/circuitryfor wirelessly sending and receiving information.

Wireless communication technologies have also improved over the pastseveral years. Wireless local area networks are now replacing wirednetworks in many homes and offices. Short-range wireless technologies,such as Bluetooth® and WiFi, enable high speed communications betweenmobile electronic devices (e.g., cellular phones, watches, headphones,remote controls, etc.) that are within a relatively short distance ofone another (e.g., 100 meters or less).

SUMMARY

The various embodiments include systems, methods, and devices configuredto balance power consumption among wireless devices operating in amaster-slave configuration by periodically exchanging master and slaveroles in a manner that is less noticeable to a user.

Various embodiments include methods of balancing power consumption amongwireless nodes by establishing a first communication link between afirst wireless node and a second wireless node, establishing a secondcommunication link between the first wireless node and a source wirelessdevice, receiving data transmissions from the source wireless device onthe first wireless node over the second communication link, relaying atleast a portion of the data transmissions from the first wireless nodeto the second wireless node over the first communication link,determining whether to exchange master-slave roles between the firstwireless node and the second wireless node, exchanging master-slaveroles between the first wireless node and the second wireless node inresponse to determining that it is time to exchange master-slave roles,and receiving the data transmissions from the source wireless device onthe second wireless node over the second communication link. In anembodiment, the method may include monitoring the data transmissions toidentify periods of low data transmission or pauses, and exchanging themaster-slave roles between the first wireless node and the secondwireless node during an identified period of low data transmission orpauses. In a further embodiment, monitoring for a period of low datatransmission may include monitoring for a break between songs in astream of music.

In an embodiment, the method may include monitoring battery states ofthe first and second wireless nodes, in which determining whether toexchange master-slave roles between the first wireless node and thesecond wireless node may include determining whether to exchangemaster-slave roles based on a battery state of one or both of the firstand second wireless nodes. In a further embodiment, exchangingmaster-slave roles between the first wireless node and the secondwireless node may include terminating the first communication linkbetween the first wireless node and the second wireless node,terminating the second communication link between the source wirelessdevice and the first wireless node, and establishing a thirdcommunication link between the second wireless node and the sourcewireless device immediately after terminating the second communicationlink. In a further embodiment, exchanging master-slave roles between thefirst wireless node and the second wireless node may include switchingaddresses in link key fields associated with the first and secondwireless nodes. In a further embodiment, the first wireless node, secondwireless node, and source wireless device may be nodes in a piconet.

In a further embodiment, exchanging master-slave roles between the firstwireless node and the second wireless node in response to determiningthat it is time to exchange master-slave roles may include controlling amedia source on the source wireless device so that master-slave rolesare exchanged without disruption of data transmissions from the sourcewireless device. In an embodiment, the method may include determiningwhether an audio signal is currently a monaural sound directed to aparticular ear, and directing the audio signal to the one of the firstwireless node and second wireless node that is positioned in theparticular ear after exchanging master-slave roles between the firstwireless node and the second wireless node. In an embodiment, the methodmay include determining whether the source wireless device is currentlyable to receive a pause request, and transmitting the pause request tothe source wireless device in response to determining that master-slaveroles should be exchanged and determining that the source wirelessdevice is currently able to receive the pause request, in whichexchanging master-slave roles between the first wireless node and thesecond wireless node is accomplished in response to the source wirelessdevice pausing data transmissions.

Further embodiments include a computing device having a transceiver, amemory, and a processor coupled to the transceiver and the memory, inwhich the processor is configured with processor-executable instructionsto perform operations including establishing a first communication linkwith a second computing device, establishing a second communication linkwith a source wireless device, receiving data transmissions from thesource wireless device over the second communication link, relaying atleast a portion of the data transmissions to the second computing deviceover the first communication link, determining whether to exchangemaster-slave roles with the second computing device, and exchangingmaster-slave roles with the second computing device in response todetermining that it is time to exchange master-slave roles. In furtherembodiments, the computing device processor may be configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform other operations of theembodiment methods discussed above.

Further embodiments include a system that may include a first wirelessdevice including a first transceiver, a first memory and a firstprocessor coupled to the first transceiver and the first memory, asecond wireless device including a second transceiver, a second memoryand a second processor coupled to the second transceiver and the secondmemory, and a source wireless device including a source transceiver, asource memory and a source processor coupled to the source transceiverand the source memory in which the in which the first, second and/orsource processors are configured with processor-executable instructionsto perform operations corresponding to the method or processoroperations discussed above. In further embodiments, the processors ofthe system devices may be configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform other operations of the embodiment methodsdiscussed above.

Further embodiments include a system having various means for performingfunctions corresponding to the method or processor operations discussedabove.

Further embodiments include a computing device having various means forperforming functions corresponding to the method or processor operationsdiscussed above.

Further embodiments include a non-transitory processor-readable storagemedium having stored thereon processor-executable instructionsconfigured to cause a processor of a wireless computing device toperform various operations of the embodiment methods discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutepart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, serve to explain the features of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a component block diagram illustrating example components andcommunication links in a composite electronic device suitable forimplementing the various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating example pairings andcomponents in a configuration suitable for implementing the variousembodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3B are process flow diagrams of embodiment methods fordynamically swapping master and slave roles to balance power consumptionamong wireless nodes.

FIGS. 4A-4C are process flow diagrams of embodiment methods fordynamically swapping master and slave roles so that the role changeshave reduced impact on the user experience.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a wireless wrist watch-type computingdevice suitable for use with the various embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a wireless earpiece suitable for use withthe various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example mobile device suitable for usewith the various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example laptop computer suitable for usewith the various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.References made to particular examples and implementations are forillustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention or the claims.

The term “computing device” is used generically herein to refer to anyone or all of servers, personal computers, laptop computers, tabletcomputers, mobile devices, cellular telephones, smartbooks, ultrabooks,palm-top computers, personal data assistants (PDA's), wirelesselectronic mail receivers, multimedia Internet enabled cellulartelephones, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, wireless gamingcontrollers, and other similar electronic devices that include aprogrammable processor and circuitry for wirelessly sending or receivinginformation.

The terms “mobile device,” “wireless node” and “receiver device” areused interchangeably herein to refer to any one or all of cellulartelephones, smartphones, personal or mobile multi-media players,watches, wrist displays, medical devices, headsets, headphones,speakers, microphones, and/or any electronic device that includescircuitry for wirelessly sending and/or receiving information.

The term “Bluetooth®-enabled device” is used herein to refer to anyelectronic device that includes a radio frequency (RF) radio and aprocessor or circuitry for implementing the Bluetooth® protocolstack/interface. Bluetooth® is an open standard for short-range radiofrequency (RF) communications. Details of the Bluetooth® standards,interfaces, and technology are set forth in Bluetooth® Special InterestGroup (SIG) Specification of the Bluetooth® System Version 4.0 Jun. 30,2010, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

As mobile device and wireless technologies continue to improve and growin popularity, short-range wireless technologies are expected tosupplant or replace the need for connecting devices together usingcables or wires. As part of this evolution, composite electronic devicesmade up of multiple independent wireless-enabled devices (e.g., twoheadphone speakers and a wrist display) are beginning to emerge, and itis becoming more common for individual electronic components (e.g., aheadphone) to require wireless communications with multiplecomponents/devices. Such communications may have a disproportionateimpact on the battery life of each constituent component in a compositeelectronic device, and distributing the energy consumption costs amongstconstituent components of a composite electronic device is becoming animportant and challenging design criterion.

Any electronic device that includes a radio frequency (RF) radio and/orcircuitry implementing a short wave wireless protocol/interface is awireless-enabled device capable of communicating using short wavewireless technology. Such RF radios and circuitry are now being embeddedin small electronic devices (e.g., headphone speakers), allowing thesedevices to communicate using wireless technology and replacing the needfor wires or wire based communications. As a result, compositeelectronic devices made up of multiple independent wireless-enableddevices (e.g., two headphone speakers and a wrist display) are beginningto emerge for which all communications between the constituentcomponents are achieved using wireless technology (e.g., Bluetooth®,WiFi, etc.). However, such extensive use of RF radios may quicklydeplete the component's battery and cause the entire compositeelectronic device to become unusable. This is particularly problematicfor smaller components (e.g., headphone speakers) that have size orweight limits that prevent them from including larger and more powerfulbatteries.

The various embodiments provide wear-leveling methods that enable thewireless communications to be performed so that the battery levels ofthe devices are depleted at the same rate. Various embodimentsintelligently and dynamically swap master/slave roles among two or morewireless receiver devices (e.g., speakers) coupled to a data sourcedevice (e.g., phone) to optimize battery life in both devices. Thevarious embodiments provide methods for swapping the master and slaveroles so that there is less impact on the user experience. The variousembodiments may be implemented using Bluetooth®, WiFi, or other similarshort wave wireless communication technologies.

Swapping master/slave roles typically requires that the communicationlink between the existing master device (e.g., a first earpiece) and thesource device (e.g., media player) be torn down and a new communicationlink be established between a new master device (e.g., second earpiece)and the source device (e.g., media player). The process of tearing downa first link and creating a second link may consume a second or two oftime, during which the audio playback may be interrupted. The variousembodiments swap master and slave roles so that there is reduceddisruption to the audio/data stream (e.g., during a media break).Various embodiments initiate a master/slave swap at points in thecommunications stream at which a swap is most likely to have a minimalimpact on the user experience, such as during periods of silence inbetween songs.

In various embodiments, the wear-leveling operations may be performedsuch that the user does not perceive any changes in the operations ofthe devices. For example, if a composite device is configured such thatmonaural sound is produced by a first wireless earpiece but not by asecond wireless earpiece, as may be the case when a telephone call isunderway and the user prefers to receive audio from phone calls in aparticular ear, the master and slave roles of outputting the monauralaudio of the first and second earpieces may be swapped so that themonaural sound continues to be produced by the first wireless earpiece(e.g., the user's preferred ear for phone calls), irrespective of thechanges in master/slave roles. This may be achieved, for example, by thenew master (e.g., second earpiece) streaming the monaural audio to thenew slave (e.g., first earpiece). This may also be achieved by, forexample, by delaying or suspending the role swap operations until it isdetermined that the information transmitted from the source device(e.g., media player) is such that the master and slave roles may beswapped without impacting the user experience. For example, themaster/slave swap may be delayed until a phone call ends.

In an embodiment, the master and slave roles may be swapped in responseto determining that information transmitted from the source device(e.g., media player) is to be received on a specific device having aspecific role. For example, if the information transmitted from thesource device (e.g., media player) requires that a monaural sound beproduced by the first wireless earpiece acting in a master role, thesystem may be configured to place the first wireless earpiece into themaster role upon detecting the presence of such information. In thismanner, the wear-leveling operations may be performed so that the userdoes not perceive any changes to device operations.

In another embodiment, the master device may be configured to determinewhen the audio stream from source device is controllable, such as amedia player playing stored music versus receiving a broadcast stream,and when that is the case, issue a command or request to the sourcedevice that enables the audio stream to be temporarily halted, such asby executing a pause, to enable the master/slave swap to occur withoutlosing any of the media. This option may be particularly useful when theaudio is primarily speech (e.g., a podcast or audio book).

While the various embodiments are particularly useful in mobile devices(e.g., cellular telephones, headsets, watches, wrist displays, etc.),the embodiments are generally useful in any computing device that sendsor receives information over a short-range wireless communications link.

Various embodiments are described herein using Bluetooth® andBluetooth®-related terminology as a convenient example of acommunications technology for wirelessly connecting electronic deviceslocated within a relatively short distance of one another (e.g., 100meters). However, examples referring to Bluetooth®, and other referencesto the Bluetooth® herein, are for illustration purposes only and are notintended to limit the descriptions or the claims to that particularstandard. Therefore, the scope of the claims should not be construed asrequiring Bluetooth® technology unless specifically recited as such inthe claims.

Bluetooth® technology provides a secure way to connect and exchangeinformation between electronic devices (e.g., headphones, cellularphones, watches, laptops, remote controls, etc.). Because many of theservices offered over Bluetooth® can expose private data and/or allowthe connecting party to control the connected device, Bluetooth®requires that devices first establish a “trust relationship” before theyare allowed to connect to one another. This trust relationship may beestablished using a process called “pairing” in which a bond formedbetween the two devices. This bond enables the devices to communicatewith each other in the future without further authentication.

The pairing process may be triggered by a specific request to create abond (e.g., user explicitly requests to “add a Bluetooth® device”), ormay be triggered automatically (e.g., when connecting to a service). Forexample, a Bluetooth® device may automatically initiate the performanceof the pairing operations each time the device is powered or movedwithin a certain distance of another Bluetooth® device. Pairinginformation relating to current and previously established pairings maybe stored in a paired device list (PDL) in the memory of the Bluetooth®device. This pairing information may include a name field, an addressfield, a link key field, and other similar fields (e.g., profile type,etc.) useful for authenticating the device and/or establishing aBluetooth® communications link.

Bluetooth® communications may require establishing wireless personalarea networks (also referred to as “ad hoc” or “peer-to-peer” networks).These ad hoc networks are commonly called “piconets.” Each device maybelong to multiple piconets. Multiple interconnected piconets may becalled scatternets. A scatternet may be formed when a member of a firstpiconet elects to participate in a second piconet.

A Bluetooth® profile describes general behaviors through whichBluetooth®-enabled devices communicate with other Bluetooth® devices.For example, the hands free profile (HFP) describes how a Bluetooth®device (e.g., phone) may place and receive calls for another Bluetooth®device, and the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) describes howstereo-quality audio may be streamed from a first Bluetooth® device(e.g., phone) to another Bluetooth® device (e.g., headphones). Likewise,the Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) provides an interfacethat enables a single remote control (or other device) to control all ofthe devices (e.g., televisions, stereos, etc.) to which a user hasaccess.

Bluetooth® devices may connect to two devices at a time using differentBluetooth profiles. For example, a Bluetooth® receiver device (e.g.,headphones) may connect to a first Bluetooth® source devices (e.g., aphone and a media player) at the same time using the A2DP and HFPprofiles. This allows the user to listen to music streamed from thefirst source device (e.g., media player) using A2DP while allowing thesecond source device to automatically interrupt the play of music tostream speech using HFP (e.g., an incoming telephone call), and thenautomatically return to streaming music from the media player using A2DP(e.g., upon completion of the call).

Bluetooth® implements a master-slave structure in which a single masterBluetooth® device (referred to herein simply as the “master device”) maycommunicate with up to seven active slave Bluetooth® devices (hereinsimply “slave devices”) in a piconet. A master device may onlycommunicate with the slave devices that are within the same piconet asthe master. Slave devices may only communicate with the master device,and thus, communications between two or more slave devices are typicallyfacilitated by the master device.

Master and slave devices may have asymmetrical roles. For example,within each piconet, data may only be transferred over a singleconnection at a time, and the connection may only be established betweenthe master device and one slave device. Therefore, the master may beresponsible for identifying and selecting slave devices with which tocommunicate, which may require rapidly switching the connection from oneslave device to another in a round-robin fashion to avoid starving orneglecting slave devices requesting to send or receive information. Inaddition, since communications between two slave devices must befacilitated by the master device, the master device may also beresponsible for receiving information from a sending slave device,identifying a target slave device, and retransmitting the information tothe identified target device. Slave devices, on the other hand, may onlybe responsible for monitoring or polling a port to receive informationfrom the master device. These asymmetrical roles may result in themaster device performing operations that consume a different amount ofenergy than the operations performed by the slave devices, causing onedevice to deplete its battery faster than the others.

FIG. 1 is a component block diagram illustrating an example compositeelectronic device 100 suitable for use with the various embodiments. Thecomposite electronic device 100 may include a left earpiece 102, a rightearpiece 104, and a wrist display 106, each of which may beindependently Bluetooth® enabled. Each component 102, 104, 106 may beindividually paired to each of the other components via wirelesscommunication links/pairings 116. These links/pairings 116 may beestablished at the factory so that the user perceives the compositeelectronic device 100 as a single component.

Each earpiece 102, 104 may include a speaker for generating sounds basedon audio signals received from the wrist display 106, another earpiece104, 102, or a third party device (e.g., phone) . The wrist display 106may include a media player that transmits wireless audio and/or controlstreams to the earpieces 102, 104. In an embodiment, the wrist display106 may be configured to transmit an audio data stream and a controlstream to each of the earpieces 102, 104. In these embodiments, thecontrol stream may be transmitted via a separate out-of-band channel.

In an embodiment, the wrist display 106 may transmit the audio and/orcontrol streams to a first earpiece 102, 104, which may receive thewireless transmission and transmit a stream to the second earpiece 104,102. In these embodiments, the first earpiece 102, 104 must operate asthe master device because it is both sending and receiving information.

In an embodiment, two or more of the components 102, 104, 106 may becoupled together in an advanced audio distribution profile (A2DP)configuration. In an embodiment, two or more components 102, 104, 106may be coupled together using a proprietary protocol that allows forcommunications in addition to, or independent of, the Bluetooth®communications.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating example wireless links andcomponents in a configuration 200 suitable for implementing the variousembodiments. In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, a compositeelectronic device 202 includes multiple independently Bluetooth® enabledcomponents that include a wrist display 210, a left earpiece 206 and aright earpiece 208. The composite device 202 may communicate with aBluetooth® enabled phone 204 via wireless a communication link 212. Thephone 204 may be paired to each of the wrist display 210, left earpiece206, and right earpiece 208.

Two or more components (e.g., left earpiece 206 and right earpiece 208)may be coupled together in an advanced audio distribution profile(AADP). In an embodiment, the phone 204 or wrist display 210 mayconfigured to transmit the audio and/or control streams to a firstearpiece 206, 208, which may receive the wireless transmission andtransmit a second stream to the second earpiece 208, 206. In suchembodiments, the first earpiece 206, 208 operates as the master devicebecause it is both sending and receiving information, which may causethe first earpiece 206, 208 to deplete its battery faster than the slavedevices (e.g., second earpiece 208, 206).

The various embodiments provide wear-leveling methods that enable theBluetooth® communications to be performed so that the battery levels ofthe devices are depleted at approximately the same rate. For example,the first and second earpieces 206, 208 may cooperate to dynamicallyswap master and slave roles in a manner that balances the load on eachdevice's battery. The earpieces 206, 208 may negotiate the master/slaveroles based on the amount of battery life remaining on each device(e.g., device having the most charge operates as the master).

Swapping master/slave roles may require that the communication linkbetween an existing master device (e.g., first earpiece 206) and asource device (e.g., phone 202) be torn down and a new communicationlink be established between a new master device (e.g., second earpiece208) and the source device (e.g., phone 202). The process of tearingdown a first link and creating a second link may consume a second or twoof time, during which the audio playback in the earpieces may beinterrupted. The various embodiments may swap master and slave roles attimes or points in the communication stream at which one of the deviceprocessors determines that there will be less disruption to data beingsent in the audio/data stream (e.g., during a media break), and thusreduced impact on the user experience.

In an embodiment, the MAC address in the link keys associated with theearpieces 206, 208 may switched before swapping master/slave roles sothat the source device (e.g., phone 204 or wrist display 210) is unawareof the role change. This embodiment allows for the earpiece master/slaveroles to be swapped without tearing down the link to the source device.

Various embodiments may identify points in the communications stream inwhich a role-switch is likely to have less impact on the userexperience, and perform the role-switch operations at the identifiedpoints. These points may be identified based on an in-band audio signal,silence detection algorithms, media breaks, and/or an out-bandcommunications link signal. For example, data being communicated to theearpieces 206, 208 from the phone 202 may be monitored by a processor inthe earpiece currently performing the master role to identify pauses(e.g., silence between songs in a radio or MP3 data stream) or periodsof low data traffic, and when such a pause is identified, initiate themaster/slave role swap. In various embodiments, media breaks may bedetected by subscription Bluetooth® events in an Audio/Video RemoteControl Profile (AVRCP) profile (e.g., AVRCP >1.3), by trapping anapplication programming interface (API) from the source device's mediaplayer, and/or by using track meta data (e.g., track length, currenttrack position, etc.).

As discussed above, the wear-leveling operations may be performed suchthat the user does not perceive any changes in the operations of thedevices. In an embodiment, the first and second earpieces 206, 208 maybe configured to swap master and slave roles in response to determiningthat information transmitted from the source device (e.g., phone 202) isto be received on a specific device (e.g., first earpiece 206) having aspecific role (e.g., master role), and that the designated device (e.g.,first earpiece 206) is not currently acting in the specified role (e.g.,master). In an embodiment, it may be determined that informationtransmitted from the source device (e.g., phone 202) is to be receivedon a specific device having a specific role (e.g., first earpiece 206serving as the master) by detecting that the transmitted information ismonaural sound information.

In an embodiment, the first and second earpieces 206, 208 may beconfigured to delay or suspend role swap operations until it isdetermined that the information transmitted from the source device(e.g., phone 202) is such that the master and slave roles may be swappedwithout impacting the user experience. This may be achieved, forexample, by detecting that the information transmitted by the sourcedevice is monaural sound information.

FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment method 300 for dynamically swappingmaster and slave roles to balance the load on each wireless nodedevice's battery. The operations in method 300 may be accomplished byprocessors within each wireless node (e.g., left and right earpieces)configured with processor-executable instructions implementing themethod, so references to each wireless node encompass the processorwithin the node. In block 302, a first wireless node (e.g., leftearpiece) may negotiate a communications link (e.g., Bluetooth® link)with a second wireless node (e.g., right earpiece). As part of block302, the first wireless node may assumes a role as a master Bluetoothdevice and the second wireless may assume a role as a slave wirelessdevice. In block 304, the first wireless node may establish acommunications link (e.g., Bluetooth® link) with a wireless sourcecomponent (e.g., wrist display, phone). In block 306, the first wirelessnode may begin receiving audio and/or data streams from the sourcecomponent. In block 308, the first wireless node may begin transmittingor relaying the audio or data streams to a second wireless node. Inoptional block 310, the first wireless node (or another component in thesystem) may monitor the battery consumption of the wireless nodes.

In determination block 312, the first and second wireless nodes maydetermine whether it is time to swap roles. This determination may bebased on various factors, such as battery usage, periods of inactivityor silence, a time value, measured energy consumption, processorinstructions performed, current battery level, differences in batterystates between the two wireless nodes, etc. For example, the first andsecond wireless nodes may consider the amount of time that the firstdevice has performed the master role, the amount of battery consumed bythe master device, the amount of battery remaining on the slave device,the types or volume of the communications being transmitted, the numberof master-specific operations required to process the communications,and other similar factors. So long as the wireless nodes determine thatit is not time to swap roles (i.e., determination block 312=“No”), thefirst and second wireless nodes may continue to receive content over theestablished communications links in block 306. When one of the wirelessnode processors determines that it is time to swap roles (i.e.,determination block 312=“Yes”), in block 314 the first and secondwireless nodes may swap roles by negotiating a new master-slavecommunications link. In an embodiment, swapping roles may includeswitching MAC address in the link keys associated each receiver device.

FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment method 350 for dynamically swappingmaster and slave roles. Method 350 may be implemented in processors ofthe wireless nodes as part of block 314 of method 300, such as inresponse to determining that it is time to swap roles in determinationblock 312. In block 352 of method 350, the communication link between afirst wireless node (i.e., master node) and the source node may beterminated. In block 354, the communication link between the firstwireless node and the second wireless node may be terminated. In block356, the first and second wireless nodes may swap master and slaveroles, and establish a new communications link between the new masternode (e.g., second wireless node) and the new slave node (e.g., firstwireless node). This may be accomplished by the wireless node assumingthe master role initiating the handshaking communications necessary toestablish the new communication link while the wireless node assumingthe slave role cooperates in the handshaking communications. In block358, the second wireless node acting as the new master node mayestablish a communications link with the source device. In anembodiment, block 358 may be performed as part of block 304 of method300.

FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment method 400A for dynamically swappingmaster and slave roles so that there is reduced impact on the userexperience. In block 402, a first wireless node (e.g., left earpiece)may negotiate a communications link (e.g., Bluetooth® link) with asecond wireless node (e.g., right earpiece). As part of block 402, thefirst wireless node may assume the role as a master Bluetooth device andthe second wireless may assume the role as a slave wireless device. Inblock 404, the first wireless node may establish a communications link(e.g., Bluetooth® link) with a wireless source component (e.g., wristdisplay, phone) as a master device. In block 406, the first wirelessnode may begin receiving audio and/or data streams from the sourcecomponent, and transmit or relay the audio/data streams to the secondwireless node. In determination block 312, the first and second wirelessnodes may determine whether it is time to swap roles based on variousfactors, such as battery usage, periods of inactivity or silence, a timevalue, measured energy consumption, processor instructions performed,current battery level, differences in battery states between the twowireless nodes, etc. So long as the wireless nodes determine that it isnot time to swap roles (i.e., determination block 312=“No”), the firstand second wireless nodes may continue to receive content over theestablished communications links in block 406. When one of the wirelessnode processors determines that it is time to swap roles (i.e.,determination block 312 =“Yes”), in block 408, the first wireless node(or another component in the system) may monitor the signal to identifypoints in the communications stream in which a role-switch is likely tohave a less impact on the user experience. In block 410, the first andsecond first wireless node may swap master-slave roles, which mayinclude switching MAC address in the link keys associated each receiverdevice. In block 412, the second wireless node (new master node) maybegin receiving the signals transmitted from the source device andforward the received signals to the first receiver device (new slave),essentially returning to block 406 to continue the process describedabove.

In an embodiment, the components may be coupled in an advanced audiodistribution profile (A2DP) configuration that supports frequencymaster/slave role changes. The A2DP protocol does not support twoindividual components and only one device (referred to here as the“master”) is visible to the phone at any given point in time. In suchconfigurations, various embodiments may perform the pairing operationsso that the master component that advertises the A2DP connection (e.g.,wrist display) receives the information and retransmits the informationto a slave component (e.g., a wireless earbud). In these embodiments,all the components remain paired to the third-party device and themaster relays the information to the other nodes. This may be enabled bythe components being grouped or sold together in a composite device sothey may be configured to be aware of the protocol stacks of the othercomponents.

FIG. 4B illustrates an embodiment method 400B for dynamically swappingmaster and slave roles that includes accommodates situations in whichonly monaural sound is being transmitted and the user has a preferredear for receiving monaural sound (e.g., and ear preferred for telephonecalls). Method 400B is substantially similar to method 400A describedabove with reference to FIG. 4A, with the addition of block 413 in whichthe new master node is determines the appropriate year for playingmonaural sound, and neither begins generating that monaural sound if thenew master node is in the user's preferred ear, or transmitting monauralsound to the new slave node if the new slave node is in the user'spreferred ear.

FIG. 4C illustrates an embodiment method 400C for dynamically swappingmaster and slave roles that accommodates source devices which arereceptive to control signals from the master node, such as a pauserequest. Method 400C is similar to method 400A described above withreference to FIG. 4A, with the addition of determination block 407. Inresponse to determining that it is time to swap the master and slaveroles (i.e., determination block 312=“Yes”), the master node processor(or another processor) may determine whether the source device iscurrently controllable in determination block 407. This determinationmay be based upon the type of source device with which the master nodeis communicating, such as whether the device is capable of receivingcommands or pause request. In an embodiment, this determination may alsoconsider the type of media being played, such as whether the media is abroadcast stream which cannot be interrupted, or a recorded media (e.g.,an MP3 file). In a further embodiment, this determination may alsoconsider the type of content being played in a recorded media, such aswhether the recorded media is primarily speech, which can easily becaused without impacting the user experience without the need forwaiting for a gap between content segments. This embodiment may beuseful when the media being played is a podcast, lecture, or audio book.

If the master node processor (or another processor) determines that thesource device is currently not controllable (i.e., determination block407=“No”), the processor may continue to execute the operations inblocks 408 through 412 as described above in method 400A with referenceto FIG. 4A. If the master node processor (or another processor)determines that the source device is currently controllable (i.e.,determination block 407=“Yes”), the processor may send a signal to thesource device requesting that a positive be executed in block 414. Thesignal may be any type of control signal that is receivable by thesource device, and thus may be defined by the particular make and modelof source device. In block 416, the master node processor may theninitiate the master/slave role swap operation described above when thesource device executes the requested pause. In this operation, themaster node processor may wait for a signal from the source deviceindicating that it is paused or monitor the data stream to detect whenthe pause has been implemented. After the master/slave role swap iscompleted in either block 410 or block 416, the second wireless node(new master node) may begin receiving the signals transmitted from thesource device and forward the received signals to the first receiverdevice (new slave), essentially returning to block 406 to continue theprocess described above.

The various embodiments described above may be implemented using avariety of wireless-enabled mobile computing devices, such as a wristwatch-type computing device (“wrist display”) 500 illustrated in FIG. 5.A wrist watch computing device 500 may include a processor 502 coupledto a volatile and/or non-volatile internal memory 504, which may besecure and/or encrypted memories, unsecure and/or unencrypted memories,or any combination thereof. The processor 502 may also be coupled to anelectronic display screen 506, which may be a touch screen display(e.g., resistive-sensing touch screen, capacitive-sensing touch screeninfrared sensing touch screen, etc.). The wrist display 500 may have oneor more radios (e.g., RF radio) and/or antennas 508 for sending andreceiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wirelessdata link and coupled to the processor 502. The radios/antennas 508 maybe used with the above-mentioned circuitry to implement the Bluetooth®protocol stack/interface (i.e., the wrist display 500 may be Bluetooth®enabled).

The wrist display 500 may also include a slide sensor 510 and physicalbuttons 512 for receiving user inputs. The wrist display 500 may includea battery 516 coupled to an inductive charging circuit 518, and a coilantenna 520 which may be an inductive coil adapted to enable inductivecharging of the battery 516. The battery 516 and inductive chargingcircuit 518 may be coupled to the processor 502 to enable the wristdisplay 500 to control inductive charging and generate messages via thecoil antenna 520. The wrist display 500 may further include a vibratorymotor 522, and various sensors, such as a temperature sensor 524 andaccelerometer 526, all of which may be coupled to the processor 502.

Other examples of wireless-enabled mobile computing devices that may beused to implement the various embodiments described above includewireless earpieces, such as wireless earpiece 600 as illustrated in FIG.6. A wireless earpiece 600 may include a processor 602 coupled tovolatile or non-volatile internal memories 604 and 606. The wirelessearpiece 600 may include one or more radios/antennas 608 for sending andreceiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wirelessdata link and coupled to the processor 602. The radios/antennas 608 maybe used with the above-mentioned circuitry to implement the Bluetooth®protocol stack/interface (i.e., the wireless earpiece 600 may beBluetooth® enabled).

The wireless earpiece 600 may also include one or more physical buttons610 for receiving user inputs, a speaker 612 configured to generate anaudio output, and a microphone 614 to receive audio input, all of whichmay be coupled to the processor 602. The wireless earpiece 600 mayfurther include a battery 616 coupled to an inductive charging circuit618, and a coil antenna 620 which may be an inductive coil adapted toenable inductive charging of the battery 616.

The various embodiments may also be implemented using any commercialcomputing devices having an RF radio, examples of which are illustratedin FIGS. 7 and 8. Typical mobile computing devices 700 will have incommon the components illustrated in FIG. 7. For example, mobilecomputing devices 700 may include a processor 702 coupled to an internalmemory 704 and a touch surface input device/display 706, such as aresistive sensing touchscreen, capacitive sensing touchscreen, infraredsensing touchscreen, acoustic/piezoelectric sensing touchscreen, or thelike. The computing device 700 may have a radio/antenna 710 for sendingand receiving electromagnetic radiation that is connected to a wirelessdata link and/or cellular telephone transceiver 708 coupled to theprocessor 702. Computing devices 700 may also include physical buttons712 for receiving user inputs.

Other forms of computing devices, including personal computers andlaptop computers, may be used to implementing the various embodiments.Such computing devices typically include the components illustrated inFIG. 8 which illustrates an example personal laptop computer 800. Such apersonal computer 800 generally includes a processor 802 coupled tovolatile memory 804 and a large capacity nonvolatile memory, such as adisk drive 806. The computer 800 may also include a compact disc (CD)and/or DVD drive 808 coupled to the processor 802. The computer device800 may also include a number of connector ports coupled to theprocessor 802 for establishing data connections or receiving externalmemory devices, such as a network connection circuit for coupling theprocessor 802 to a network. The computing device 800 may have aradio/antenna 810 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiationthat is connected to a wireless data link coupled to the processor 802.The computer 800 may further be coupled to a keyboard 816, a pointingdevice such as a mouse 814, and a display 812 as is well known in thecomputer arts.

The processors 502, 602, 702, 802 may be any programmablemicroprocessor, microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips thatmay be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform avariety of functions, including the functions of the various embodimentsdescribed herein. Multiple processors may be provided, such as oneprocessor dedicated to wireless communication functions and oneprocessor dedicated to running other applications. Typically, softwareapplications may be stored in the internal memory before they areaccessed and loaded into the processor 502, 602, 702, 802. In somedevices, the processor 502, 602, 702, 802 may include internal memorysufficient to store the application software instructions. In somemobile devices, the secure memory may be in a separate memory chipcoupled to the processor 502, 602, 702, 802. The internal memory may bea volatile or nonvolatile memory, such as flash memory, or a mixture ofboth. For the purposes of this description, a general reference tomemory refers to all memory accessible by the processor, includinginternal memory, removable memory plugged into the device, and memorywithin the processor 502, 602, 702, 802 itself.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the blocks of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of blocks in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intendedto limit the order of the blocks; these words are simply used to guidethe reader through the description of the methods. Further, anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting theelement to the singular.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm blocks described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Alternatively, some steps or methods may be performed bycircuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitorycomputer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. The steps of amethod or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in aprocessor-executable software module which may reside on anon-transitory processor-readable or computer-readable storage medium.Non-transitory processor-readable and computer-readable media may be anyavailable storage media that may be accessed by a computer or aprocessor of a computing device. By way of example, and not limitation,such non-transitory processor-readable or computer-readable media maycomprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in theform of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by acomputer or processor of a computing device. Disk and disc, as usedherein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digitalversatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and blu-ray disc where disks usuallyreproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of non-transitory computer-readable media. Additionally, theoperations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combinationor set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitoryprocessor-readable medium and/or non-transitory computer-readablemedium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and theprinciples and novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of balancing power consumption amongwireless earpieces, comprising: establishing a first communication linkbetween a first wireless earpiece and a second wireless earpiece,wherein the first wireless earpiece assumes a master role and the secondwireless earpiece assumes a slave role; establishing a secondcommunication link between the first wireless earpiece and a sourcewireless device; receiving a first data transmission of a plurality ofdata transmissions from the source wireless device on the first wirelessearpiece over the second communication link and relaying at least aportion of the received first data transmission from the first wirelessearpiece to the second wireless earpiece over the first communicationlink; determining, by the first wireless earpiece, whether the sourcewireless device is currently controllable; sending a pause request tothe source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable; identifying a media break inresponse to determining that the source wireless device is not currentlycontrollable; and causing the source wireless device, during theidentified media break or a pause resulting from the pause request, tosend a second data transmission of the plurality of data transmissionsto the second wireless earpiece over the second communication link byexchanging master-slave roles between the first wireless earpiece andthe second wireless earpiece without informing the source wirelessdevice of the master-slave role change and without terminating thesecond communication link, wherein exchanging of master-slave rolescomprises swapping of addresses in link key fields associated with thefirst and second wireless earpieces.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: monitoring battery states of the first and second wirelessearpieces; and determining whether to exchange master-slave roles basedon a battery state of one or both of the first and second wirelessearpieces.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wirelessearpiece, the second wireless earpiece, and the source wireless deviceare earpieces in a piconet.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein exchangingmaster-slave roles further comprises: controlling a media source on thesource wireless device so that master-slave roles are exchanged withoutdisruption of data transmissions from the source wireless device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether an audiosignal is currently a monaural sound directed to a particular ear; anddirecting the audio signal to the one of the first wireless earpiece andthe second wireless earpiece that is positioned in the particular earafter exchanging master-slave roles between the first wireless earpieceand the second wireless earpiece.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining whether the source wireless device is currentlyable to receive the pause request, and wherein sending the pause requestto the source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable further comprises transmittingthe pause request to the source wireless device in response todetermining that master-slave roles should be exchanged and determiningthat the source wireless device is currently able to receive the pauserequest, and wherein exchanging master-slave roles between the firstwireless earpiece and the second wireless earpiece is accomplished inresponse to the source wireless device pausing data transmissions.
 7. Amobile multi-media system, comprising: a first wireless earpiece; asecond wireless earpiece; a source wireless device; means forestablishing a first communication link between the first wirelessearpiece and the second wireless earpiece, the first wireless earpieceassuming a master role and the second wireless earpiece assuming a slaverole; means for establishing a second communication link between thefirst wireless earpiece and the source wireless device; means forreceiving a first data transmission of a plurality of data transmissionsfrom the source wireless device on the first wireless earpiece over thesecond communication link and relaying at least a portion of thereceived first data transmission from the first wireless earpiece to thesecond wireless earpiece over the first communication link; means fordetermining, by the first wireless earpiece, whether the source wirelessdevice is currently controllable; means for sending a pause request tothe source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable; means for identifying a mediabreak in response to determining that the source wireless device is notcurrently controllable; and means for causing the source wirelessdevice, during the identified media break or a pause resulting from thepause request, to send a second data transmission of the plurality ofdata transmissions to the second wireless earpiece over the secondcommunication link by exchanging master-slave roles between the firstwireless earpiece and the second wireless earpiece without informing thesource wireless device of the master-slave role change and withoutterminating the second communication link, wherein exchanging ofmaster-slave roles comprises swapping of addresses in link key fieldsassociated with the first and second wireless earpieces.
 8. The mobilemulti-media system of claim 7, further comprising: means for monitoringbattery states of the first and second wireless earpieces; and means fordetermining whether to exchange master-slave roles based on a batterystate of one or both of the first and second wireless earpieces.
 9. Themobile multi-media system of claim 7, wherein means for establishing thefirst communication link and means for establishing the secondcommunication link comprise means for linking the first wirelessearpiece, the second wireless earpiece, and the source wireless devicetogether in a piconet configuration.
 10. The mobile multi-media systemof claim 7, wherein exchanging master-slave roles comprises controllinga media source on the source wireless device so that master-slave rolesare exchanged without disruption of data transmissions from the sourcewireless device.
 11. The mobile multi-media system of claim 7, furthercomprising: means for determining whether an audio signal is currently amonaural sound directed to a particular ear; and means for directing theaudio signal to the one of the first wireless earpiece and the secondwireless earpiece that is positioned in the particular ear afterexchanging master-slave roles between the first wireless earpiece andthe second wireless earpiece.
 12. The mobile multi-media system of claim7, further comprising means for determining whether the source wirelessdevice is currently able to receive the pause request, wherein means forsending the pause request to the source wireless device in response todetermining that the source wireless is currently controllable furthercomprises means for transmitting the pause request to the sourcewireless device in response to determining that master-slave rolesshould be exchanged and determining that the source wireless device iscurrently able to receive the pause request, and wherein means forexchanging master-slave roles between the first wireless earpiece andthe second wireless earpiece comprises means for exchanging master-slaveroles between the first wireless earpiece and the second wirelessearpiece in response to the source wireless device pausing datatransmissions.
 13. A mobile multi-media system, comprising: a firstwireless device comprising a first transceiver and a first processorcoupled to the first transceiver; a second wireless device comprising asecond transceiver and a second processor coupled to the secondtransceiver; and a source wireless device comprising a sourcetransceiver and a source processor coupled to the source transceiver,wherein the first processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions to perform operations comprising: establishing a firstcommunication link with the second wireless device and assuming a masterrole while the second wireless device assumes a slave role; establishinga second communication link between the first wireless device and thesource wireless device; receiving a first data transmission of aplurality of data transmissions from the source wireless device over thesecond communication link and relaying at least a portion of thereceived first data transmission to the second wireless device over thefirst communication link; determining, by the first wireless device,whether the source wireless device is currently controllable; sending apause request to the source wireless device in response to determiningthat the source wireless device is currently controllable; identifying amedia break in response to determining that the source wireless deviceis not currently controllable; and causing the source wireless device,during the identified media break or a pause resulting from the pauserequest, to send a second data transmission of the plurality of datatransmissions to the second wireless device over the secondcommunication link by exchanging master-slave roles with the secondwireless device without informing the source wireless device of themaster-slave role change and without terminating the secondcommunication link, wherein exchanging of master-slave roles with thesecond wireless device comprises swapping of addresses in link keyfields associated with the first and second wireless devices byreplacing a current address in a link key field with a new addressassociated with the second wireless device, and wherein the secondprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations comprising: exchanging master-slave roles with thefirst wireless device; and receiving the second data transmission of theplurality of data transmissions from the source wireless device over thesecond communication link in response to exchanging master-slave roles.14. The mobile multi-media system of claim 13, wherein the firstprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations further comprising: monitoring a battery state; anddetermining whether to exchange master-slave roles based on the batterystate.
 15. The mobile multi-media system of claim 13, wherein the firstprocessor is configured with processor-executable instructions such thatestablishing the first and second communication links comprises linkingthe first wireless device to the second wireless device and the sourcewireless device in a piconet configuration.
 16. The mobile multi-mediasystem of claim 13, wherein the first processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising: determining whether to exchange master-slave roles based oninformation received from the source wireless device indicating a timethat master-slave roles may be exchanged without disruption of datatransmissions from the source wireless device.
 17. The mobilemulti-media system of claim 13, wherein the first processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationsfurther comprising: determining whether an audio signal is currently amonaural sound directed to a particular ear; determining if the firstwireless device is configured for use in the particular ear; anddirecting the audio signal to the second wireless device afterexchanging master-slave roles with the second wireless device inresponse to determining that the first wireless device is not configuredfor use in the particular ear.
 18. The mobile multi-media system ofclaim 13, wherein the first processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising determining whether the source wireless device is currentlyable to receive the pause request, wherein sending the pause request tothe source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable further comprises transmittingthe pause request to the source wireless device in response todetermining that master-slave roles should be exchanged and determiningthat the source wireless device is currently able to receive the pauserequest, and wherein the first processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that exchanging master-slaveroles with the second wireless device is accomplished in response to thesource wireless device pausing data transmissions.
 19. A wirelessearpiece, comprising: means for establishing a first communication linkwith a second wireless earpiece; means for establishing a secondcommunication link with a source wireless device; means for receiving afirst data transmission of a plurality of data transmissions from thesource wireless device over the second communication link and relayingat least a portion of the received first data transmission to the secondwireless earpiece over the first communication link; means fordetermining, by the wireless earpiece, whether the source wirelessdevice is currently controllable; means for sending a pause request tothe source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable; means for identifying a mediabreak in response to determining that the source wireless device is notcurrently controllable; and means for causing the source wirelessdevice, during the identified media break or a pause resulting from thepause request, to send a second data transmission of the plurality ofdata transmissions to the second wireless earpiece over the secondcommunication link by exchanging master-slave roles with the secondwireless earpiece without informing the source wireless device of themaster-slave role change and without terminating the secondcommunication link, wherein exchanging of master-slave roles comprisesswapping of addresses in link key fields associated with the first andsecond wireless earpieces by replacing a current address in a link keyfield with a new address associated with the second wireless earpiece.20. The wireless earpiece of claim 19, further comprising: means formonitoring a battery state of the wireless earpiece; and means fordetermining whether to exchange master-slave roles based on the batterystate.
 21. The wireless earpiece of claim 19, wherein means forestablishing the first communication link and means for establishing thesecond communication link comprise means for linking the wirelessearpiece to the second wireless earpiece and the source wireless devicein a piconet configuration.
 22. The wireless earpiece of claim 19,further comprising: determining whether to exchange master-slave rolesbased on information received from the source wireless device indicatinga time that master-slave roles may be exchanged without disruption ofdata transmissions from the source wireless device.
 23. The wirelessearpiece of claim 19, further comprising: means for determining whetheran audio signal is currently a monaural sound directed to a particularear; means for determining whether the wireless earpiece is configuredfor use in the particular ear; and means for directing the audio signalto the second wireless earpiece after exchanging master-slave roles withthe second wireless earpiece in response to determining that thewireless earpiece is not configured for use in the particular ear. 24.The wireless earpiece of claim 19, further comprising means fordetermining whether the source wireless device is currently able toreceive the pause request, wherein means for sending the pause requestto the source wireless device in response to determining that the sourcewireless device is currently controllable further comprises means fortransmitting the pause request to the source wireless device in responseto determining that master-slave roles should be exchanged anddetermining that the source wireless device is currently able to receivethe pause request, and wherein means for exchanging master-slave rolescomprises means for exchanging master-slave roles in response to thesource wireless device pausing data transmissions.
 25. A wirelessearpiece, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to thetransceiver and configured with processor-executable instructions toperform operations comprising: establishing a first communication linkwith a second wireless earpiece via the transceiver; establishing asecond communication link with a source wireless device via thetransceiver; receiving a first data transmission of a plurality of datatransmissions from the source wireless device over the secondcommunication link and relaying at least a portion of the received firstdata transmission to the second wireless earpiece over the firstcommunication link; determining, by the wireless earpiece, whether thesource wireless device is currently controllable; sending a pauserequest to the source wireless device in response to determining thatthe source wireless device is currently controllable; identifying amedia break in response to determining that the source wireless deviceis not currently controllable; and causing the source wireless device,during the identified media break or a pause resulting from the pauserequest, to send a second data transmission of the plurality of datatransmissions to the second wireless earpiece over the secondcommunication link by exchanging master-slave roles with the secondwireless earpiece without informing the source wireless device of themaster-slave role change and without terminating the secondcommunication link, wherein exchanging of master-slave roles comprisesswapping of addresses in link key fields associated with the first andsecond wireless earpieces by replacing a current address in a link keyfield with a new address associated with the second wireless earpiece.26. The wireless earpiece of claim 25, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationsfurther comprising: monitoring a battery state of the wireless earpiece;and determining whether to exchange master-slave roles based on thebattery state of the wireless earpiece.
 27. The wireless earpiece ofclaim 25, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executableinstructions such that establishing the first and second communicationlinks comprises linking the wireless earpiece to the second wirelessearpiece and the source wireless device in a piconet configuration. 28.The wireless earpiece of claim 25, wherein the processor is configuredwith processor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising: determining whether to exchange master-slave roles based oninformation received from the source wireless device indicating a timethat master-slave roles may be exchanged without disruption of datatransmissions from the source wireless device.
 29. The wireless earpieceof claim 25, wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions to perform operations furthercomprising: determining whether an audio signal is currently a monauralsound directed to a particular ear; determining if the wireless earpieceis configured for use in the particular ear; and directing the audiosignal to the second wireless earpiece after exchanging master-slaveroles with the second wireless earpiece in response to determining thatthe wireless earpiece is not configured for use in the particular ear.30. The wireless earpiece of claim 25, wherein the processor isconfigured with processor-executable instructions to perform operationsfurther comprising determining whether the source wireless device iscurrently able to receive the pause request, wherein sending the pauserequest to the source wireless device in response to determining thatthe source wireless device is currently controllable further comprisestransmitting the pause request to the source wireless device in responseto determining that master-slave roles should be exchanged anddetermining that the source wireless device is currently able to receivethe pause request, and wherein the processor is configured withprocessor-executable instructions such that exchanging master-slaveroles comprises exchanging master-slave roles in response to the sourcewireless device pausing data transmissions.